Crossing Over
by S J Smith
Summary: Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric and Winry Rockbell wind up in a place they never expected to be. Ain't nobody happy.
1. A World of Change

**Title:** Crossing Over

**Author:** S J Smith

**Rating:** Teenish

**Summary:** When Ed, Winry and Al inexplicably wind up in The Avengers-verse, no one is happy.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned absolutely any of this, I'd be less worried about job security.

**Notes:** I'll work on this when I have ideas.

* * *

Chapter One: A World of Change

* * *

"How long are they going to be here?" Nick Fury scowled at the trio of blond kids – cute blond kids, but still _civilians_, and travelers from another world or dimension or some such crap, and definitely not needed around here.

"Until we find a way to send them back to their own world," Coulson said. "Which, we're still trying to figure out how to do that. Considering they're saying 'the Truth' sent them here, I'm not sure how we're going to do that."

Fury watched as the trio sat together. The ponytailed kid seemed the most likely to go off at any second; the other two weren't exactly stunned, no, that's not how he'd put it, but a helluva lot more curious than upset. "Well, they're kids," he said, "and kids don't belong here. Not on my ship." He ignored the fact there were a couple of nineteen-year-olds under his command who'd disagree with that statement. "They need to go somewhere else," safe, out of the way, preferably where no news reporters could find about them. He smiled, showing a lot of teeth. "Stark has some extra room, doesn't he?"

Coulson blinked. "Sir?"

"Contact Stark and tell him he's got to make room for some visitors." Fury turned away from the sight of the trio of strangers, thinking it'd just _crush_ Stark to play host to a few alien kids.


	2. A Meeting of Minds

_**A Meeting of Minds  
**_

* * *

"I'm putting up a trio of kids? I don't even like kids," Tony protested, ignoring the fact the trio could hear him.

"They're not normal children…er." Coulson smiled. Not at all nervously. Which made Tony frown. "They're not children, they're adults."

"Whatever. When I was their age, I was taking over the reins of Stark Enterprises." Tony waved off Coulson's argument.

"Yeah? Well, we were fighting to keep our country from being destroyed by a homunculus that had swallowed god!"

Damn. The kid had good ears. Tony slowly turned around, his eyebrows rising as he peered at the three. The long haired young man was on his feet, pointing at Tony. "You have no idea what we've been through – absolutely none. So don't just brush us off!"

Tony kept staring at him, and the kid bristled more. Pursing his mouth, Tony nodded. "Okay. Okay. So you've had a hard time."

"Damn right we did."

"I just don't see," Tony put his hands behind his back, "why you should be brought here, to my home." He emphasized the noun, giving Coulson a look. Coulson returned a smile that absolutely defined the word 'bland'. "My home," he repeated, as if it didn't get through.

"Colonel Fury thought that they'd be more comfortable here than anywhere else."

"Why?" Tony asked, exasperated.

A loud, reverberating squeal echoed up from downstairs, and Tony turned around, realizing the girl was missing. Where had she gotten off to? "What? The hell?" he asked, as both young men winced, giving each other matching horrified looks. "My workshop!" He ran down the stairs, not caring, or realizing, the kids and Coulson were behind him.

What he found shocked him – the girl had somehow managed to get past Jarvis – he'd have to talk to the A.I. about how she'd accomplished that – and she was in his workshop, running her hands over Butterfingers, like she'd never seen a robot before. Dummy was actually sulking, waiting for his turn. "What? What?" Tony stopped in the middle of the room, thunderstruck.

"That's why," Coulson said, his grin reminiscent of a viper's. Or maybe a Stark. "Miss Rockbell is an accomplished engineer. Colonel Fury thought she might be more comfortable here." Spinning on his heel, he started back up the stairs.

The girl turned around, eyes glowing. "Did you ever think of making the fingers more articulated? If they're your assistants here, wouldn't it be better if they were able to hold more delicate items?"

Tony blinked twice. "Damn." Okay, now he knew why these kids were here. Still didn't mean he wasn't going to yell at Fury about it, though.


	3. Sight for Sore

_**Sight for Sore  
**_

* * *

"Damn it, how much longer is she going to be?" Edward paced back and forth, throwing himself onto the couch with an annoyed grunt.

Alphonse moved his legs to keep from getting slammed by his brother's body when he landed. "You know Winry." He asked, "Mr. Jarvis, how long has Winry been with Mr. Stark?"

"Six hours, forty-eight minutes and twenty-three seconds," the disembodied voice answered promptly.

"Tch!" Edward wriggled himself deeper into the couch.

"Are you sulking?" Alphonse asked, leaning over his brother's face.

"No!" But the scowl Edward wore said otherwise.

Alphonse grinned. "You're sulking!"

"Am not! I just don't get what Winry sees in – in," waving his hand, Edward snarled. "That bastard, Stark!"

"Oh, come on, Ed," Alphonse couldn't resist rubbing salt in the wounds – what were little brothers for, anyway? "This is _Winry_we're talking about. And you have to admit, Mr. Stark's engineering is pretty cool. If I had a suit like the one he made, I'd want to show it off, too."

"Yeah, yeah," Edward still sulked, his brow completely knotted.

"Oh, hello?" A red-haired woman paused in the doorway, studying them. Alphonse, in turn, studied her back, thinking she was pretty cute. And the woman behind her, wearing a pair of coveralls that he thought maybe Winry ought to wear to show off her curves rather than that shapeless thing he always saw her in, was just as attractive.

"Hello," Alphonse said, getting off the couch and offering his hand.

The redhead took it with the same assurance Hawkeye showed. "You must be one of Mr. Stark's houseguests."

"Yeah, that's us," Edward said, sounding tired as he sat up properly. "I'm Edward Elric, that's my brother, Alphonse, and," he winced as another high-pitched squeal echoed up from the basement below, "our friend, Winry, is downstairs with Stark."

"She's the engineer, correct?" the second woman asked, the faintest of accents coloring her voice. Alphonse cheerfully turned his attention to her.

"You already know about her?" Edward rubbed the back of his neck. "Geeze, bad news travels fast."

"Ignore him," Alphonse said brightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your names?"

"Oh, I'm Virginia Potts," the redhead said, "and this is Natasha Romanova."

Alphonse smiled at them both. "Pleased to meet you. And I hope Winry doesn't distract Mr. Stark too much."

"I'm kind of surprised Mr. Stark let her into his workshop, but she's an engineer?" Miss Potts asked, glancing at Miss Romanova. "I guess that explains it."

Dryly, Edward said, "Winry's a genius with automail."

"I'm sorry?" Miss Potts frowned.

"Automail is the mechanical prostheses of the Elrics and Miss Rockbell's world, correct?" Miss Romanova glanced at Edward.

"Yeah. And Winry's the best." There was more than a hint of pride in Edward's voice.

"Mechanical prostheses," Miss Potts said musingly.

"Pepper, is that you? Can you put in an order for pizza?" Mr. Stark's voice broke in. His voice went a bit distracted. "Do you like pizza?"

Alphonse heard Winry ask, "What's pizza?"

"Oh. Well, we definitely need pizza," Mr. Stark said, "Pepper, could you put in an order? Delivery. And make sure they send some of those little cinnamon things, too. You like cinnamon? Everyone likes cinnamon. Some of those cinnamon things."

"Yes, Mr. Stark," Miss Potts said, and Alphonse thought he recognized that tone of voice – First Lieutenant Hawkeye had the same one when talking to Colonel Mustang, sometimes.

"Thanks!" Before his voice cut off entirely, Mr. Stark said, "Now, tell me more about - "

"Pizza?" Edward asked, confused.

"It's a type of food," Miss Romanova said while Miss Potts pulled a tiny, rectangular thing from her handbag and touched it a few times.

"Yes, Bennie, it's Pepper Potts – mm, Mr. Stark's usual order, but add another," she glanced over at Alphonse and Edward, "two? No, make it three pizzas. And the cinnamon rolls, a triple order of those, as well. Thank you, Bennie. Yes, for delivery." She smiled as she spoke, and Alphonse thought she was one of the prettiest women he'd ever seen. He wondered what she'd look like in a pair of coveralls like Miss Romanova's.

"Stop drooling, Al, the food'll be here soon," Edward sighed.

Yeah. Let his brother think he was interested in the food. That'd work.


	4. Paid For

**Paid For  
**

* * *

"So, on your world," Mr. Stark asked, a slice of pizza in hand. "You have alchemists instead of scientists? How does that work?"

Winry tuned out the discussion. She knew as much as she wanted to know about alchemists, and alchemy, and instead, nibbled on the pizza, thinking it was one of the tastier things she'd ever eaten. She wondered if she could get a recipe, and serve it at home.

"Miss Rockbell," someone said, and she glanced up, curious.

"Yes, Miss Potts?"

"I was thinking, Colonel Fury sent you and your friends here without any clothes, or other supplies you might need. Perhaps you and I should do some shopping."

"That'd be great!"

"On Colonel Fury's bill, of course," interjected smoothly. "Since, technically, you're his guests, and I'm just furnishing a place for you to stay. And Pepper, remember to add this meal to the bill."

Miss Potts rolled her eyes. "You can afford it, Tony."

"It's the principle of the thing, Pepper." He saluted her with the pizza slice. "And I am a man of my principles."

"Oh, please," Miss Potts said.

Mr. Stark raised his eyebrows. "I am. And, anyway," he shifted closer to her, "this isn't something we should be discussing in front of the kids."

"We're not kids," Ed growled, and it was Winry's turn to roll her eyes. She kicked him under the table, making him yip.

"Shut up, Ed," she told him sweetly, and Al snickered in response to Ed's snarl.

"Hmm, kicking him under the table, why didn't I think of that," Miss Potts said, though she was looking at Mr. Stark rather than Ed.

"You wouldn't dare," Mr. Stark told her. "Remember, I do still write your paycheck."

"I think the board does that now," she said blandly.

"Yes, well, I still have some sort of say in what happens with my company, despite you being the CEO," Mr. Stark told her, "and I also think that my money should not be used for Nick Fury's guests."

"Whatever," Ed grumbled, "you don't have to give us anything. We don't need any handouts."

"Ed!" Al and she both said his name at the same time, but Winry punctuated it with another kick at his shin. He never learned to dodge those for some reason.

"Damn it, Winry!"

"Ed! Manners!" Al smacked his shoulder, and this time, it was Mr. Stark who giggled.


	5. Nighttime Duties

**Nighttime Duties  
**

* * *

"All right," Pepper said, after the pizza had been eaten, and the remains cleaned up, "I think it's time for me to go home."

"Oh, you could stay over," Tony said, giving her an arch look that she translated as, _Don't leave me alone with a bunch of kids._ Or maybe, _Please don't leave, and I'll make it up to you, preferably in bed, but I'm willing to negotiate other perks._

"I could, but," Pepper's eyes settled on the blond girl settled between the two young men. "I believe Miss Rockbell would feel more settled elsewhere."

"What?" Edward's eyes narrowed as he popped halfway up off the sofa. "No way. That wasn't part of the deal. We stick together."

"Oh, Ed," Winry rolled her eyes. "What's going to happen?"

He showed her teeth, and it wasn't very pretty. "Do you want me to make a list? Al and I've been watching the news here," and there was a slight wobble on 'watching', which made Pepper wonder what their world could possibly be like. "There are a lot more crazies out there than there are in Risembool or Rush Valley. This city was just attacked by – by things that make that Father bastard look like _nothing._"

'Father bastard?' Pepper caught Tony's eyebrows dance at that particular phrase. "I promise, Miss Rockbell will be safe with me, in my apartment. Happy will drive us there, and we'll be back tomorrow morning." Tony's eyebrows waggled some more. Pepper translated it as, _No, really, please don't leave me with the kids._ "And tomorrow, we can get you some new clothes, and other necessary items."

"I don't like this," Ed folded his arms over his chest, glaring at her.

"I don't, either." The firmness in Al's voice made Pepper glance his way. "We don't know what brought us here. If we're separated, how do we know that it won't send Winry home by herself, or send Ed and me, and leave her behind?"

Tony held up a finger. "He does have a point, Pepper. A very good one. I'd hate for them to be separated." His frown described the horrors he'd feel at having to deal with the kids if they were split up, and, she thought if she pressed, he might actually do 'the going down on his knees thing to plead for them to stay together' – if she stayed here, too.

"Al's right, Miss Potts," Winry told her. "If that - " her hands described a circle, or something unexplainable.

"Gate," Ed supplied.

" - opened while I was somewhere else." She shuddered.

"So we have to stay together," Al said, and looped a comforting arm around Winry's shoulders, giving her a squeeze.

Ed glared at both Pepper and Tony. "Yeah."

Tony spread his hands. "So, they have to stay together." A sudden gleam in his eyes let Pepper know he was about to say something she'd regret.

So she stopped him with a, "No."

"But - "

"Your place has a lot more room."

Tony folded his arms, and his sulk actually resembled Ed's. Not that Pepper would tell him. Or Ed, for that matter. "Fine."

"Besides," Winry said brightly, "I can get an earlier start on designing hands for your robots, Mr. Stark."

Of course she could. And Tony's brow furrowed a little at that, probably because he hadn't designed hands for his robots. "Right. Well, I guess I'd better show you to your rooms…" Getting to his feet, he shot Pepper a final look.

She smiled tightly. "Well. I suppose I should tell you three to have a good night, and sleep well. Tony, I'll see you tomorrow morning." Before he – or his eyebrows – could protest, Pepper headed for the door. Really, she needed a little time to process this, but at least this time, she wouldn't have to worry about Tony dying.

Right?

"Jarvis, can you tell Happy that I'll need a ride home?" she asked, stepping into the elevator.

"Of course, Miss Potts," the A.I. said. "Have a good evening."

Pepper smiled. "I'm sure I will." But maybe she'd better rethink that idea about Tony, she added to herself, as the elevator whisked her away.


End file.
